HOT SPRINGS -- With much larger targets ultimately in mind for their connections, seven 3-year-old horses are entered to start today's $150,000 1-mile Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park, including three trained by Hall of Famers who have yet to bring a horse into the winner's circle of the race.
Post time for the Smarty Jones, Oaklawn's first of four races that offer qualifying points for entry in the Kentucky Derby, is scheduled for 4:38 p.m.
Mourinho, a son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, shipped in from southern California on Wednesday as the 3-2 morning-line favorite in hopes of giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his first Smarty Jones winner.
Eight-time Oaklawn training champion Steve Asmussen, also a member of the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, has two trainees entered, either of which could give Asmussen his first victory in the race. Combatant, by Scat Daddy and owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Ho, is the morning-line 2-1 second choice off a second-place finish in the Springboard Mile at Remington Park in Oklahoma City on Dec. 17.
Tap Daddy, also by Scat Daddy, has yet to win on dirt. He has two victories on turf in four career starts. He was third in a three-way photo finish among a field of 14 in the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes, which was taken off turf and raced on a sloppy track at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Oct. 8.
Ricardo Santana Jr. is expected to ride Combatant, who has earned Asmussen's confidence.
"He's talented," Asmussen told the Daily Racing Form. "He's going to be a good horse. I think he has room to develop physically."
Asmussen has trained a total of eight winners of Oaklawn's other three major Derby prep races, the Southwest Stakes (Grade III), Rebel Stakes (Grade II) and the Arkansas Derby (Grade 1). Baffert has trained 12.
The Smarty Jones offers 17 Road-to-the-Derby points, including 10 for first-place. Since 2014, Kentucky Derby starters have scored, at a minimum, between 20 and 32 points.
Mourinho finished second in his last start, the 7-furlong Grade III Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar in San Diego on Nov. 11. He has won one of three career starts with a 6-furlong maiden victory at Santa Anita Park on Sept. 30, and has yet to run two turns or beyond 7 furlongs. Mourinho was originally scheduled to start against his Baffert stablemate McKinzie in the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita on Jan. 6.
Jockey Drayden Van Dyke is scheduled to ride Mourinho.
McKinzie won the Sham to extend his record to three wins in three career starts.
"I wanted to stretch him out, and I didn't want to run him against my other horse. McKinzie," Baffert said. "That race was pretty tough on paper. I thought I would bring him up there and see how he handles the shipping and really see if he can go two turns."
Highly regarded trainer Todd Pletcher, who has over 4,400 wins, has Navistar, owned by Robert Lapenta, as the third morning-line choice at 5-2. Navistar won his second career start in a 1-mile maiden race at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 16.
Bode's Maker is among the sparse field's long shots, but trainer Allen Milligan, a trainer since 1999 and a regular at Oaklawn since 2006, said he believes his colt fits in and has a legitimate chance.
Bode's Maker, by 2012 Arkansas Derby winner Bodemeister, has won one of five career starts but finished second among 10 in the 7-furlong Clever Trevor Stakes at Remington Park on Nov. 3. He finished seventh in the Springboard Mile's field of 10, 18 lengths back. Typically a closer, he appeared in good position midway through the final turn of the Springboard but made no progress to the finish as the leaders pulled away. Milligan said Bode's Maker was bothered throughout the warmup, which compromised his chance.
Jockey Floyd Wethey Jr. has ridden Bode's Maker in his last three races and is expected to stay on for the Smarty Jones.
"[Bode's Maker] got too nervous in the post parade," Milligan said. "He got way too excited. Floyd came back and said he couldn't get him to settle down. Like I said, when he was loading the gate, he was just washed out bad, sweating everywhere. Hopefully, we'll come in this a little better. They're young horses. It takes them a while to get used to everything."
Milligan said he hopes Bode's Maker learned from the Springboard.
"He'll have to, because it looks like there are two really good ones in there," Milligan said. "But I think he got a lot out of that race. He's mentally matured, and I expect him to really move forward tomorrow."
Sports on 01/15/2018